Stars and Stripes employees sue Pentagon over firings at military newspaper
The journalists say the Pentagon acted after coverage of a Navy deployment and a CBS interview defending editorial independence.
- On Thursday, three employees of the newspaper Stars and Stripes filed a lawsuit in Washington against the Defense Department and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, alleging their firings were retaliation for unflattering Navy coverage.
- The Pentagon fired the three staff members last Friday, citing insubordination; according to the lawsuit, the move followed an article by Alison Bath about deteriorating conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln deployed in the Middle East.
- Erik Slavin, Lara Korte, and Max Lederer were cited for insubordination, with Slavin and Korte specifically cited for comments made during a CBS News interview regarding First Amendment principles.
- Seeking to halt their terminations, the lawsuit claims the actions are unlawful; the employees stated their goal is to protect the rights of service members to a free and independent Stars and Stripes.
- Lederer, who spent 30 years with the paper, resigned after finding his philosophy differed in "fundamental ways" from the Defense Department's plans; the newspaper has operated as an independent organization since World War.
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107 Articles
The publisher, editor, and reporter of "Stars & Stripes" sued the US Department of Defense (Pentagon) in protest of their dismissal.
Three employees of Stars and Stripes, the military publication, sued the Pentagon and senior officials on Thursday.The trio, which includes the editor-in-chief of the media, claimed that they were illegally removed by personal statements protected by the First Amendment.
Stars and Stripes Journalists Sue Pentagon Over Firings
Three journalists who say they lost their jobs for doing exactly what Stars and Stripes was created to do—report independently on the military—have sued the Pentagon over the dismissals. Publisher Max Lederer Jr., editor in chief Erik Slavin, and Middle East correspondent Lara Korte argue that the removals...
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